Collinwood's Keeper
by AndromacheTakaya
Summary: Victoria Winters has fled Collinwood, leaving Barnabas Collins shattered. But after a year of darkness, Sarah has decided to act on behalf of her brother. Will her hopes succeed? or will her brother be lost to darkness forever? based on the 1991 remake.
1. Chapter 1

Collinwood's keeper

Chapter 1

Kathryn Elizabeth Snow

My name is Kathryn Snow. I am twenty-five years of age. Until a few days ago, I could not have told you much about what I planned to do with my life. But that was then, and I was not a part of the world of Collinwood Manor.

It was a strange house, but I liked it. Somehow, I felt it suited me nicely. Collinwood was a lovely old mansion located off of Collins Road, high up a hill from the small town of Collinsport, Maine. The family that lives there has been in the manor for almost twelve generations, and has been there since the town was founded with their name.

Only, it wasn't the main house that has hired me. It is the original house that has called me. A place as old as Collinsport. A place that seems to have gained a life of its own. For when I showed up on the doorstep on the morning of October 27th, there was no one home, although I was told I would be expected.

Yet, as I stood, looking around for the owner of the house, the doors opened by themselves, granting me entrance to the foyer within. Stepping inside felt to me like taking a step into the past. The halls were a beautiful mixture of smooth plaster, carved stone, and polished wood. The ceilings were high and vaulted in places. The area in which I stood was open and spacious. To my right was a large, grand staircase that lead ever upwards and out of my sight. To my left, a receiving area that had been prepared with painstaking accuracy. It looked like an old French chateau, so grand someone like myself should never have laid eyes on it.

I'm not rich, you see. I have an eye for beautiful things, but all in all, I'm a simple girl. I do not think myself particularly pretty, although friends and relatives have often told me that I was. I have long dark hair that I keep tucked back in a braid most of the time, with pale coffee-cream skin and dark eyes with a strange blue ring around the. I'm neither short nor tall, and I have a small waist with a long torso. I have never had a man in my life. Perhaps that is the reason for my shyness and quiet disposition the vast majority of the time. Unless I am made angry. I have strong opinions about life, and I have an explosive temper when crossed. I am told I am very defensive when it comes to protecting my friends and family.

Carefully, I set my suitcases down in the entrance hall and stepped into the receiving room, taking the opportunity to let my curiosity roam. The columns stretching up to the ceiling were carved mahogany, and beautifully maintained. The walls were painted a soft green, giving the impression that I was between a parlor and a forest. My eyes fell on the letter that was sitting on the oak coffee table, underneath a large bouquet of flowers. My name was scrawled across the front in beautiful handwriting. I picked it up, opened it, and read.

My Dearest Miss Kathryn Snow,

Please feel welcome in this house. I am deeply sorry that I could not be here to greet you myself. I hope you will be happy here. You may choose any room upstairs you like for yourself. You are also welcome to the library, and to wander the rooms of the house. My brother, Barnabas Collins, will greet you this evening. He is a kind man, and will see to any arrangements that you may need.

Sincerely,

Sarah Collins

I looked the note over again. I was told that Sarah Collins had hired me as keeper of the Collins residence. I had not been told I would be serving her brother. I shrugged, folding the letter up again and placing it in my skirt pocket. If there were any issues that could not be resolved, I would simply get back on the train and return to New Hampshire. Smiling to myself, I moved to the stairs to explore my new domain.

The stairs were carpeted in green, matching the receiving room. I got the impression that the owner of the house (Barnabas Collins. I would have to remember. If worse came to worse, it would simply be Mr. Collins) liked green. Perhaps his life didn't allow him time to witness the greenery outside.

The second floor was decorated in soft cream colors and pale pinks. Old paintings dotted the walls above oil lamps. I was immediately charmed by the calming, old-world feeling it gave me. It was almost like I had lived there before. I began opening doors to discover each had its own theme. One bedroom had a china theme, with cream and floral designs spanning every piece of furniture in the room. Another was heavily Victorian, with plush velvet covering the bed and chairs, all in dark colors. A third had cherry wood furniture; a fourth had large bay windows. I loved them all, but at last settled on the one with the large windows. This way, I reasoned, I would be able to have both night and daylight. I skipped joyfully down the stairs again and hauled my bags to the room, setting them inside the door. I did not unpack yet, thinking that if something went wrong, I would be prepared to leave as soon as possible.

I spent the rest of the day wandering the house, looking in every crevice and nook with intense curiosity. I found a large library in which I spent many hours running my fingers over the books, anticipating the time when I would be able to sit and read them. I found the kitchen, which was much to my surprise almost completely empty of any food.

There were a few fish in the freezer, and some potatoes in the pantry, but other than that there was next to nothing. I wondered if Mr. Collins was accustomed to taking his meals outside of the house.

The rest of the day passed rather quickly. I cleaned up and made a meal to the best of my ability with the few stocks I had, finally being able to light the candles in the long dinning room and set the food out with satisfaction.

Outside, the sun set with creeping slowness. I sat waiting in a small alcove outside of the entry hall, waiting for Mr. Collins to arrive. No one came. The clock on the wall across from me went _tick-tick-tick_ in a lulling beat as it marked the time from 6:30 to 7:00. I closed my eyes, determined to wait.

Suddenly I was waking up to a booming voice demanding an explanation for my presence.

"Well?" the voice said, and I looked around groggily for the source. "Do you know that if I had thought you a burglar, you wouldn't be waking up now?"

I rose to my feet, still looking for the person speaking. It was completely dark now, and though there were candles and lamps burning in the receiving room, the entry hall was completely dark.

"Forgive me, sir, but I cannot see you." I stammered, trying to move into the light. A hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me into it. I looked up to see a tall, severe-looking man staring down at me with flat brown eyes.

"What are you doing in my house?" he demanded again.

"I'm your new housekeeper." I replied, bowing my head, assuming the man before me was Mr. Collins. "You're sister sent me."

I looked up in time to see something flash across his face before inexplicable anger dashed it away. He removed his hand from my arm and moved it up to my throat, closing around it and lifting me up with brute strength.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" he snarled, shaking me. "MY SISTER DID NOT SEND YOU! TELL THE TRUTH, OR BY GOD YOU WILL NOT LIVE TO SEE THE DAWN!!"

I choked, reaching up to tug at his arm. It might as well have been made of stone, for all the good it did me. I began struggling.

"She did!" I gasped. "I swear it! I was hired by Sarah Collins! There's a letter in my pocket that she left for me this morning!"

Everything began to go dark as he squeezed harder.

"Barnabas, please." I whispered. I don't know why I called him by his first name. I only know that I was having the life choked out of me for an unknown reason, and I had to make him see the truth. I lowered my hand into the pocket on my skirt and pulled out the crumpled letter, flicking it at him.

He dropped me to catch it. I lay there, on the ground, looking up at him in the dim light as he inspected the letter's envelope, then the letter itself. I could have sworn I saw tears in his eyes as he read it. He shook his head, and then looked down at me, all the malice and anger gone from his face, replaced with intense worry and grief.

"Forgive me." He whispered, helping me up. "I haven't seen my sister in a long time, so you must understand that the idea of her setting this up for me is almost unbelievable."

I said nothing as he helped me to the couch before retreating to a chair opposite me. I sat quite still, as though I was afraid I might scare him with movement. He looked intently at me, then down at the letter again, shaking his head. I took the opportunity to observe my new employer. He was indeed tall, though he slouched in the chair as he read the letter over and over, every now and then glancing at me with an odd expression. He had soft brown hair that receded into a kind of cliff on his forehead, giving him the same old-world look as the rest of the house. His eyes were set under deep, arched brow bones, centered by a long, aristocratic nose. His cheekbones were uncharacteristically high and elegant for a man, but perhaps it was his hallow cheeks that made them seem so. All together, I allowed myself the thought that he was a rather gorgeous and strong-looking man.

It must have been the Collin family genes.

At last he looked up from the letter, tucked it at me, and began looking me over as I had done him. I flushed slightly as his eyes lingered on my lips and neck, drawing his attention there. His severe face broke into a smile as he watched it, and I could even see humor dancing in his brown eyes.

"I apologize again for having hurt you, Miss Snow." He said at last, leaning back in his chair. "With this house newly restored, I greatly expect thieves to attempt to steal at least once or twice."

"That's alright." I said quietly. He leaned forward, concerned.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Have I hurt your throat? You can hardly speak at all!"

I blushed more, feeling embarrassed at his mention of my shyness.

"It's not hurt." I said, trying to speak louder and failing. "This is just how I am during first introductions. Forgive me, but ours hasn't exactly gone well."

He nodded as though he understood completely. I rose, dusting myself off.

"Well, Master Collins." I said formally. "I have prepared your supper, although you are late in taking it this evening. In the future I will be better informed so that I might prepare it closer to your preferred meal times."

He said nothing.

"You _DO_ eat here, don't you?" I asked, nervous that perhaps he went out to eat nightly.

He shook himself.

"Of course." He replied smoothly, rising from the chair. I smiled sleepily at him.

"Good. I will see you tomorrow perhaps. I think proper reparations for strangling me will be for you to do the dishes after your meal tonight." My smile turned sly. "Have a pleasant meal, Master Collins. I will see you on the morrow."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Barnabas Collins

She was something I had never seen before, but felt I had known my whole existence. She was so quiet, like my Josette had been. Yet I could feel something more, especially when she had the gall to tell me that I would be cleaning up after myself for the evening. I smiled as I scraped the plates from the meal that I could not consume. I admired the fact that she had managed to make a meal in this house, since I had not consumed a meal since my turning and therefore kept little in the house at all. But I smelled the fragrance of dill and lemon from the fish as I disposed of it.

Willy showed up a short while later, bowing the way he does, and asking if I needed anything.

"No, Willy." I replied, smiling. "I won't be needing your services tonight. I have some…things to tend to."

He nodded and left, though he gave me a look that said he was curious about my affairs. I paid him no mind, but headed upstairs to see where my new little housemaid had made her quarters.

To my intense surprise, I found her sleeping soundly in one of the rooms Sarah had chosen. It had been the room she had died in. After I refinished the house, I had the room altered so that only one bed remained instead of the two where Daniel and Sarah had slept. My heart couldn't bear to see the places where they had lived so many years ago, or the bed where my sweet little Sarah had died.

I watched her sleep for a while, trying to decipher Sarah's purpose in bringing this woman here. I had no desire to have another woman in my house, since Josette had died and Victoria had fled from me. My gaze drifted over her. She was a lovely young woman, younger than I had been when I had died, but old enough to have seen some of the world and know what was in it. She looked nothing like my Josette, but she had a similar delicate beauty that was outlined by a strong determination to survive. This woman had met some trials in her life, and I was immediately curious to learn them.

Gently, I traced a finger over her long brown hair. It was so dark it could have been black, but it had a tint of silver and red in the light of the moon streaming in from the bay window. Before I realized it, I found myself smiling warmly at her as she slept. I would see what she did with her time in Collinwood.

The next evening when I awoke, I found her nowhere in sight as I made my way to the dining room, but I could hear her bustling about upstairs. Willy entered the room, his shuffling step making his presence known.

"Willy." I said, waving ha hand that he should come closer. "Eat this food for me. Leave the plates for the housekeeper to clean."

"We have a housekeeper?" Willy asked, eyeing the meal hungrily. Apparently the woman had gone to town and done a bit of grocery shopping, because the meal was a delicate lamb and rice setting.

"Yes." I replied, setting off down the hall towards the soft rustling of Miss Snow's cleaning. I found her in the library in the west wing. Instead of finding her cleaning, I found her at the top of a ladder, balancing a precarious stack of books in one hand while she reached for another. She tottered, loosing her balance as she leaned backwards on the bars of the ladder. I rushed under her, determined not to let her hit the ground. But as I made to catch her, she regained her balance and began climbing down with ease.

I looked at her, stunned, as she turned around and saw me. The books toppled to the floor as she bowed hastily.

"I'm sorry, Master Collins!" she squeaked, her long braid falling forward. "I didn't mean to disturb you! I thought you would be at dinner!"

She looked so flustered that I laughed out loud, startling her even further.

"It's quite alright, Miss Snow." I said after I had recovered. "I simply came to see how you were taking this new environment."

"Oh," she replied, picking up books without looking at me. "It's a lovely house. I'm sure I will become accustomed to your habits very soon."

She risked a glance at me. My gaze did not waver. She was so lovely when she was flustered, and I found myself indulging in the idea of slipping the skirt she was wearing down to the floor and seeing the skin beneath revealed to me. She looked away.

"I-I am sorry if you don't find everything to your liking, Master Collins." She stammered. "I only went to the market this morning, and I was not sure where your tastes run, so I prepared a lamb braze and rice for you."

"Yes," I said, bending to pick up one of the books she had missed. It was _The Odyssey_, one of Homer's epic poems. "I found it quite delicious. Have you read this one before?" I waved the book.

"Oh, yes!" she said, and I wanted to smile at her enthusiasm. "It's one of my favorites. I always liked Odysseus. He never did loose his Hubris."

I handed the book back to her, considering other poems that I, too, was familiar with from my years spent in this library.

"Thy bosom is endeared with all hearts." I recited. "Which I by lacking have supposed dead/ and there reigns love and all love's loving parts/ and all those friends which I thought buried."

"One of Shakespeare's Sonnets?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"His number Thirty-one" I replied, nodding. I moved forward and rested a hand on her chin, lifting it up so she would meet my eyes. "Remember this, Miss Snow. You need never be afraid here. My dearest wish is that the woman who will be tending my home feel as comfortable as possible."

She nodded, apparently at a loss for words.

"Yes, Master Collins." She said at last.

"Please, call me Barnabas."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Kathryn Snow

My heart thudded for a long while after Master Colli- Barnabas left. It feels both odd and right to be calling him by his first name. He seemed so sad when he recited Shakespeare's sonnet, as though he really felt what the poem described.

"…Which I by lacking have supposed dead…" I mused, setting my stack of books on the table.

He was such a strange man. Perhaps it was simply that he was familiar with the house where I was not, but I hadn't even heard him enter the room. Indeed, I did not even know he was in the room until I had turned around to find him staring at me. I looked with dismay at the bent spines of a couple of books I had dropped when he had startled me. Several of them were very old, and I felt a pang of regret at having damaged them.

Picking them up carefully, I rushed up to my room to place them on my night stand before heading quickly back downstairs to clear away the leftovers of the meal. I looked on with satisfaction at the empty plates. At least the man had an appetite. That I could work with. It was one of my deepest joys to be able to feed people and make them happy because of it. A full belly is a happy soul.

All the while as I worked I could feel someone's eyes on me. But whenever I glanced around, there was no one there. Dismissing it as unease due to being in a new place, I finished and retired for the evening.

The next day was the worst day that I have ever experienced. I woke up early and went down to the kitchen to find a lanky man with greasy black hair stooping over the gas stove. Just as I was deciding what to do, he turned around with an unbalanced start, wobbling a lot before his eyes widened.

"Miss Snow!" he exclaimed, his smile showing crooked, grimy teeth. "I'm so glad you're up! I made you breakfast to welcome you to Collins Manor!"

"What's Collins Manor?" I asked, sitting down. Mentally I ran through a list of things I had to do. Vacuum the house, open the windows, air out the bedrooms….

"This is Collins Manor." He said, placing a stack of pancakes in front of me, then setting a jar of maple syrup down with a _thunk_. "Eat up. I made 'em special."

"I thought this was Collinwood." I said, eyeing the meal. Should I be trusting a stranger's food? Courtesy won out, and I took a bite. "This is pretty good! Where did you get the recipe?"

"My Auntie." He said proudly. "I'm sorry, Miss Snow, I don't think I told you my name. I'm Willie."

"Very nice to meet you Willie." I replied. "Maybe you can help me today."

Eagerly, he cleared away the dishes after shoveling down his own breakfast, and helped me begin opening the house. The winter months were soon upon us, and the chill wind Maine delights in filled the house with crisp freshness.

"We just gotta remember to close the windows whenever the sun goes down." Willie said nervously.

"Why's that, Willie?" I asked, pulling on a rather heavy drape. To my surprise, a cloud of dust rained down on my head as the drape finally pulled loose. "Night air can be the best for airing out a dusty old house."

"Um… because, I-uh.." he struggled with the words, and I stopped to look at him. "B-because it's too cold! Yeah, that's it! Master Barnabas likes his house nice and warm when he comes home."

"Well, Master Barnabas can't have a clean, stuffy house." I huffed, but made a mental note to close the windows when the sun started going down.

Where the hell are the plugs in this house?!" I shouted an hour later. "The appliances? The damned washer and dryer!"

"What is it, Miss Snow?" Willie asked in alarm as he rushed in. I had been fuming for a few minutes, and had cracked when I couldn't find what I was looking for. I wasn't surprised that my shouting had shocked him. "You shouldn't shout so much!"

"This man is absolutely impossible!" I shrieked. "I understand his love for the old times, but no electricity _at ALL_? How am I supposed to clean this place if I can't even vacuum the rugs?!"

He looked behind him, nervous.

"You really need t-to stop s-shouting." He whimpered.

"Where is that man?" I snapped, marching towards the door. "He better hope that he has a good idea on how to maintain this house without proper equipment."

I flung open the door to find myself walking into an old woman with white, feathery hair that was tucked into a bun.

"Oh, my." She said, and I swear I could have called her 'grandma', her voice was so sweet and comforting. "Are we having a little trouble adjusting?"

I wanted to cry. I motioned for her to come in, guiding her into the back room of the house where I had been working. I had no idea which room it was. A downstairs study, perhaps. It was all smooth, dark wood and high, arched walls. A sprawling fireplace sat on one wall.

"It always amazes me how much my Willie and Mister Collins have done with this old place." She said.

"Auntie!" Willie said, shambling in. "I'm so glad to see you! Maybe you can help Miss Snow."

I was ashamed at the look of relief on his face.

"Yes, well." Auntie said, patting his cheek then looking at me with complete understanding. "I know the tendencies of Mister Collins. When he said he'd restore the house to it's original state, he meant it."

I shook myself.

"Madam, it's understandable, I suppose, to want things this way." I said. "It's just, I've searched every room I can open in this house, every closet and every broom cupboard, and I cannot find a single cleaning item aside from an assortment of dish rags and feather dusters."

The woman chuckled.

"I'm Mrs. Johnson." She smiled, touching my shoulder in almost the same spot Barnabas had the first night I had met him before he tried to strangle me. "I'm the housekeeper and cook at Collinwood. I'll help you clean for today."

I threw myself at her, hugging her tight at the wonderful suggestion.

She laughed a motherly laugh and hugged me gently back. Then, over my head, she said to Willie,

"Willie, get the cords and the generator up. I'll run back to Collinwood and get the vacuum and the other cleaning supplies."

I straightened.

"Let me go with you!" I offered, following her to the door. "It's the least I could do after such kindness you have shown me."

I had never known that one could stretch so much cord over such a long distance. The beautiful home of Collinwood was quite a walk from Barnabas's Collins Manor, so it took quite a bit of hauling, wiring, and very careful relay to get everything set up to vacuum. While I did that, Willie, who had forgiven my outburst and grinned when I asked him to call me Kathryn, moved about busily polishing the wood. Auntie, who insisted on staying, happily cleaned the windows and refilled all the fireplaces with fresh wood so I could start them when the sun went down. When it finally did, and we had taken everything back to Collinwood, I promised to trade recipes with Auntie and was sitting waiting for a roast to finish cooking, exhausted but contented.

Willie had excused himself to do something, fidgeting and trying to get the words out once more.

"Oh, Willie." I sighed, looking at him and smiling. "Your affairs are your own. You don't have to answer to me."

Jollier than I had ever seen him for some reason, he almost danced off to do what he wanted. With the warmth of the fire and the wind blowing softly outside, it was too easy to start drifting off. Quiet steps sounded from far away, drawing closer. Somehow, it only added to the comfort. For the first time since coming here, I felt that perhaps I was truly at home here.

"The roast!" I gasped, remembering that it was in the oven, and jolted myself off the couch. I gathered my skirt and dashed into the kitchen, immediately calming once I got there.

"It doesn't smell as though it burnt." Barnabas's voice followed me. I started, turning around.

"No, thank goodness. You'd be eating at Collinwood if it were."

He regarded me for a while, a contemplating expression on his face. Becoming frustrated, I folded my arms and looked back at him.

"I see." Was the reply. Then, "I'm terribly sorry, but I will be working late tonight, and I will not be taking the evening meal. However,"

He pulled Willie into the kitchen, who smiled awkwardly.

"Willie Loomis is also under my service, and will be happy to share in the meal I would have had."

I felt my face tighten with disappointment even as Willie waved at me and tried to straighten his shoulders. Barnabas gave him a look I couldn't understand before leaving.

"S-so." Willie said, his head bobbing. He sat down at the little table that had been placed there for the kitchen servants that didn't exist. "What are ya gonna do tomorrow? The house is all clean now."

"I don't know, Willie." I said, beaming at him. Then something occurred to me. "Do you like gardening?"

"Oh," Willie said, looking more awkward as he groped for the words. "My Auntie taught me all about that. She's got a real nice garden at Collinwood."

He nodded to himself in some form of congratulations. I continued to smile as I turned to pull the food out of the oven.

"So, Willie," I said, trying to make conversation. "How much do you know about Barnabas?"

"Oh, he's a real nice person, Miss Snow." He said smiling some more. "Real old-world type. But you could probably tell that when you cleaned the house, right?"

Silently I muttered some things about said house.

I pulled out some plates as he flustered his way through details about our employer. His speech faltered as I set a loaded one down in front of him.

"That looks wonderful, Miss Snow." He said, picking up his fork. Not one to stand on ceremony, he tucked right in. "Mmm! Id ish wonnerful!" he said through a full mouth.

"Willie," I laughed, rocking back on my heels as he swallowed the mouthful of roast. "This is the beginning of a fantastic friendship!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Barnabas Collins

The woman loved to cook. I almost reconsidered my news of having to skip dinner because of the look on her face. I went up to my mother's old room to look through her old books. She might have been aristocratic, but she also had a wonderful love of baking and cooking. How I longed to taste one of her scones again.

After a bit of rummaging, I finally unearthed the now very worn book that contained all of the recipes she had used. But when best to give this to Miss Snow?

I sat down on my mother's bed, sending up a cloud of dust. My emotions were running rampant, and I could not understand why. I promised myself that I would not allow any other woman in my life after I had lost Josette not once, but twice. Victoria Winters had quite working at the main house as tutor and fled Collinsport a year ago now.

I ruffled my hair, trying to think. Was it what Willie called 'a rebound' when I had asked him to explain about modern relationships, or was there truly something in the woman that made her undeniably beautiful?

From downstairs, I heard her laugh long and loud. It was a laugh full of life, and it made me hungry to hear more.

I shook myself. She was my housekeeper, for heaven's sake! In my human years, it was a scandal for someone of a prominent household to be caught with a servant. I moved to my study, tucking the book into the front drawer of my desk. I had not been there ten minutes before there was a soft tap at the door.

"Um, Barnabas?" Willie called, looking nervous and excited at the same time. "There's um… there's something Miss Snow wanted to ask you. I-I thought it was a good idea, but she said she should ask you, because it's your house, and I said 'yeah, I guess that's a good idea, so-"

"Send her in, Willie." I said, cutting him off. He would go on for hours if I let him. He shuffled aside and let Miss Snow enter. She looked as nervous as he did.

"What is it?" I asked, and I found I couldn't keep the curiosity out of my voice.

"I was wondering…" she began, her head bowed. "I saw the empty grounds outside, and the small greenhouse in the back…and I thought, well…"

I waited patiently.

"Could I use them to grow some plants and herbs, you know, a garden?" she blurted, her dark brown eyes suddenly looking straight into mine.

"Of course." I replied immediately. "I never meant to do anything with that anyway. Please, feel free to take whatever earth you want. I'll provide the funds should you need them."

Her hands went to her mouth as her eyes widened. When they came away her mouth was stretched into the most wonderfully bright smile I had ever seen, complimented by her soft slightly darkened skin.

I knew right then and there that I would endeavor to win her heart in any way I could. In the back of my mind, I silently thanked Sarah for sending this angel to my door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sarah Collins

Oh, my dear brother. How I wish we could spend the long days together like we used to. But that evil woman has taken your sunlight from you. I no longer think you evil, and I have told David so. But the pretty dark haired lady doesn't believe it. I'm sorry that she never will. Josette will never be yours, my brother. You must learn to accept it if you are to be happy, something I want dearly for you.

It is a strange and sad thing to be a ghost. Trapped between here and there, always seeing but never seen unless you try beyond your strength to do so. I paced myself for so long trying to find someone for my brother. I had David help me when I myself could not. He looks just like Daniel. Sometimes I am jealous that he got to grow up and I didn't. But this way, I can make sure that my family is always safe! It's like the guardian angels Mother used to tell us about before sleep every night. I t makes me feel better knowing that God has a purpose for me.

It was hard, at first, finding a way to hire someone for Barnabas. David insisted we should just find a nice lady who would like him and send them on a 'date', as he called it. I think that means to have them get married. These times are so different, their words are all funny. But I knew Barnabas would want the woman to know and love him, and for him to love her before he married her. I said she should be there all the time for him, so that they would_ have _to spend time with each other, and get to love one another. We were stuck for a while. We agreed that my brother should also have someone to take care of the house, and help out poor Willie Loomis. After a long time, David convinced me that nowadays it was okay for a lady who cleaned house to like someone who lived there. I still don't think it's right, but as I continue to think, this time is so different from mine.

Then David showed me 'email'. It's just like writing a letter, only on an electric screen, and so much faster. You don't even have to send a horseman! You can look for things there, too. Like a library, but without paper. David showed me a page with people looking for work, all over the country. We looked for someone looking to be a housekeeper. Most of them were already too old for my brother!

"How are we supposed to find her?" I asked in despair one evening. Because David didn't have a new tutor yet, he didn't have many studies. That meant he had more time to help me. "I don't want my Big Brother to be alone anymore!"

"Just be patient." He told me. "We'll find her. Can't you go find someone like Miss Winters and bring her here?"

"That's not how it works, David." I shook my head. "I can only stay here."

"I miss Miss Winters." He said. "But if you think someone else is better for him, I'll keep looking."

Another sad thing about being a ghost is that you can't sleep. I can close my eyes, but I can't sleep. I don't get tired, either. While David slept, I went back to his 'computer'. I found the place he had been looking, and started 'typing'. This time, I was happy to find three ladies who might work. One of them had a writing address at the bottom of the electric screen, so I started a letter to her.

"Dear Miss Snow." I wrote, trying to sound like an adult. I had seen my brothers Barnabas and Jeremiah write important letters before, and tried to copy them. "I have an interest in your service as stated on your information page. I would very much like to discuss the possibility of a position in my household. Please respond immediately."

I signed my name in electronic type, "Sarah Collins" and hit the little button that said 'send'. Now I only had to wait. It didn't take very long. There was a letter in the little mailbox in the morning. I was happy to find that she wanted the job, and she was very nice about it.

"I would be delighted if you were to accept me for a position. If you are still interested, I'd be happy to start whenever you need me to."

I went back to her page and looked at her picture. She was a very pretty lady, even prettier than the silly French lady, Josette. At least, I thought so. She looked healthier, like she got more sun. I bet she would be fun to play with. But would she play with me? Or run away? An idea hit me, and I wrote back to the lady.

"You may start next week, if you can. However, I must ask you a few questions. One, do you like children, and two, are you comfortable with ghosts or spirits? The house you would be tending, Collinwood, is very old and supposedly haunted, you see. I will send directions for you and instructions as to your arrival after you answer these questions if you are found suitable."

Again, I signed my name in the electric handwriting.

I asked David later how I could lead Miss Snow to Collins Manor. He said he would take care of it, and when we found her to be satisfactory, we sent her instructions telling her to speak to no one and come straight to the house. When I asked David why, he told me he didn't want anyone telling her that Barnabas was strange, or that I was a ghost. I agreed. Now it was in my brother's hands. I hoped he would take the opportunity.


End file.
